Hela: of Mice & Magic Has a Free PC Demo — Here’s What’s Included

Hela: of Mice & Magic has a free PC demo on Steam, Epic Games Store and Xbox PC. Released on October 8, 2026, the sample adventure supports solo play or two-player local split-screen. Four-player online co-op belongs to the full game, which is scheduled for December 1, 2026.

Developed by Windup Games and published by Knights Peak, Hela follows a tiny mouse through a world inspired by Northern Sweden. The demo is a self-contained story made to introduce its exploration and puzzles, rather than the entire game made temporarily free.

Where to download the free Hela demo

These official listings were checked on October 10:

Follow the relevant store’s account and installation prompts. The Xbox-branded page lists PC and handheld, so it should not be read as confirmation of an Xbox console demo.

No demo closing date is given in the checked announcement or listings. That leaves its end date unannounced; check the store before planning a later session.

What can you play in the demo?

The official Epic description sets a specific task: collect magical glimmer, restore the witch’s protective magic and find your way back to her cottage.

The smaller forest playground introduces gliding, environmental puzzles and interactions with physics-driven objects. Your Froggy backpack helps you collect and manipulate things around you. In solo play, the Shade System creates magical copies of your mouse to help with puzzles.

The official screenshot above shows two mice among roses, illustrating how ordinary garden surroundings become a large landscape at their scale. It is general game imagery, rather than a promise that this particular scene appears in the demo.

The developer calls the demo a small, self-contained adventure, but does not specify a completion time. This is announcement-based coverage, not a hands-on verdict on its length or performance.

Does the demo have online co-op?

The confirmed demo options are single-player and two-player local split-screen. The Microsoft listing explicitly lists local co-op for two players.

The distinction matters when arranging a session with friends:

Those exclusions come from the demo’s own feature comparison. The full game’s online-player count should not be used to advertise a four-person demo session.

When does the full game launch?

December 1, 2026 is the announced full-game date on Steam and the official Hela website. The website names PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S and Nintendo Switch 2 as platforms. Check local storefronts for availability and unlock details.

We have added that date to our release calendar. The free PC demo is a separate download from the upcoming full release.

Windup’s October 8 announcement also points to an October 14 IGN Fan Fest appearance. That presentation is still upcoming as of this article’s publication. For footage already released, here is the developer’s original Triple-i Adventure Trailer; its broader game presentation does not override the demo limitations above.

Image source: Hela’s official Steam media. © Windup Games AB / MY.GAMES B.V. (Knights Peak). Original composition retained.